Prashant Narayanan reacts to AR Rahman’s communal remarks

Prashant Narayanan, who is known for his villainous role in Emraan Hashmi starrer Murder 2, has weighed in on the ongoing debate around discrimination in the film industry, saying he was “genuinely hurt” after hearing certain accounts.According to him, “There are some people who have told me that just because they are Muslim, they are not even being allowed to enter certain offices.”Sharing what a casting friend told him, Prashant told Bollywood Bubble, “He said, ‘Sir, you don’t know what happens.’ I asked him, ‘What are you saying?’ He mentioned some names. I was shocked.”He clarified that production houses may not be directly involved. “Production houses deal with five-six different people and have given work to many individuals.

But he said some individuals have clearly said, ‘No, we don’t want to.’”Prashant admitted he found it difficult to process. “I was listening to him and kept saying, ‘What are you saying, man? It’s very shocking.’ He said it very clearly to me.”The actor added that the person confiding in him was under immense pressure. “He’s someone who genuinely wants to work, make a mark for himself and his parents. I understand the pressure he’s under.

And when he says he’s not being given opportunities, it hurts.”While acknowledging that there is already a lot of choice in the industry, Prashant said, “It is possible that discrimination might be happening. It’s not surprising to me because someone told me this very personally, with anguish in his voice.”He further explained that it isn’t always direct hostility. “He said it’s not always rude or direct. Sometimes it’s general avoidance.”However, Prashant clarified that he hasn’t personally faced such discrimination. “Most of the people I interact with are Muslims — they’re my friends. I’ve never thought about these things. It doesn’t matter to me.”

‘AR Rahman is one of the best we have’

Speaking about AR Rahman’s recent remarks, Prashant maintained a balanced stance.“See, I’m not exactly clear about what he meant. But AR Rahman is one of the best we have — without any doubt. He is a wonderful musician,” he said.He added that the composer may have reacted to something personal. “He must have felt slighted or something must have triggered him to make that statement. It’s his own reaction to something.”Prashant emphasised the importance of freedom of expression. “We are in a democracy. It doesn’t mean we have to support just one thing or be against something. In a democracy, somebody has the freedom to express himself. He should.”“I don’t think he wants to demean the country or its people. It’s just something he felt at that moment,” he continued. “You talk to your mother with anger, with love, sometimes even with a little rudeness. So we should not pay too much attention to that.”He concluded firmly, “We should never forget the fact that he is AR Rahman. He is somebody extremely special.”

What AR Rahman had said

For the uninitiated, during a recent interaction with BBC Asian Network, Rahman had spoken about receiving limited work offers in Bollywood.He had said, “People who are not creative have the power now to decide things, and this might have been a communal thing also, but not in my face. It comes to me as Chinese whispers that they booked you, but the music company went ahead and hired their five composers. I said, ‘Oh, that’s great, rest for me, I can chill out with my family.’” The music composer faced significant backlash for his remark on possible “communal” bias in the Hindi film industry.Following criticism, Rahman later issued an apology through a video shared on his social media account.